The Pentagon has released the names of six US service members who died when a military refuelling aircraft crashed over Iraq on Thursday. The KC-135 Stratotanker went down in western Iraq following an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in friendly airspace, according to US Central Command. The second tanker landed safely in Israel.
The deceased include Major John 'Alex' Klinner, 33, of Alabama; Captain Ariana Savino, 31, of Washington; Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Kentucky; Captain Seth Koval, 38, of Indiana; Captain Curtis Angst, 30, of Ohio; and Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons, 28, of Ohio. Klinner's family said he had been promoted to major and deployed less than a week before the crash, leaving behind three young children.
The Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refuelling Wing confirmed that three of the dead served in its Columbus-based unit. In a statement, the wing expressed sorrow and highlighted the contributions of the airmen. The Pentagon has ruled out hostile or friendly fire as the cause of the crash.
The incident brings the US death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, with seven others killed in combat. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the crew as heroes, stating: 'War is hell. War is chaos. American heroes, all of them.'
Questions have been raised about the absence of parachutes on the aircraft. A 2008 Air Force news release noted that parachutes were removed from KC-135s, as it was considered statistically safer to stay with the aircraft, especially over enemy territory.
